16 Stage Performances to Watch Today, September 23
The Metropolitan Opera: La Traviata
At 5 p.m. ET, ever since the shutdown began, the Metropolitan Opera has been sharing productions from its Live in HD series nightly at 7:30 p.m. ET. But it also presents weekly student streams that debut on Wednesdays at 5 p.m. ET. These productions have been specially selected for families, and Zoom education sessions leading up to the screening teach school-age kids about opera. This week’s offering is La Traviata, Verdi’s romantic tragedy about a courtesan whose chance at true love is thwarted by bourgeois mores. Tony-winning director Michael Mayer helmed this 2018 mounting, which stars Diana Damrau and Juan Diego Flórez as ill-fated lovers, and Quinn Kelsey as his disapproving father. Watch for free until Friday at 5 p.m. ET on the Metropolitan Opera’s website.
New York City Center’s Studio 5: Great American Ballerinas
At 5 p.m. ET, New York City Center continues its Great American Ballerinas series with New York City Ballet star Tiler Peck working on new solo pieces crafted just for her by acclaimed modern dance choreographer Pam Tanowitz. Watch for free on New York City Center’s YouTube channel.
Karen, I Said
At 6 p.m. ET, writer, performer and TDF Stages contributor, Eliza Bent, explores the phenomenon of white wokeness with wit and insight in her solo show Karen, I Said, directed by Tara Ahmedinejad. Reserve your free ticket to receive the viewing link; a $10 donation is suggested with proceeds going to the Black LGBTQ org Brave Space Alliance.
New York Theatre Barn: New Works Series
At 7 p.m. ET, for the past 13 years, New York Theatre Barn has showcased works in progress in its New Works Series. That initiative has now gone virtual, with 40-minute peeks at two new musicals a week. Tonight, catch excerpts from A Walk on the Moon, based on the movie of the same name about a young housewife who has a sexual awakening in 1969. Paul Scott Goodman (Bright Lights, Big City) penned the songs and Wicked alum Jackie Burns stars. Daniel and Patrick Lazour‘s history-inspired We Live in Cairo centers on the student-led movement to overthrow President Hosni Mubarak in 2011. Watch for free on New York Theatre Barn’s YouTube channel though donations are encouraged.
The Metropolitan Opera: Manon Lescaut
At 7:30 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera‘s week of Puccini favorites continues with Manon Lescaut, a romantic tragedy about a woman torn between love and luxury. Richard Eyre staged this lush production, which is set in 1940s occupied France and stars Kristine Opolais, Roberto Alagna, Massimo Cavalletti and Brindley Sherratt. Watch for free for 23 hours after the start time on the Metropolitan Opera’s website. You can still stream yesterday’s opera, La Fanciulla del West, until 6:30 p.m. ET today.
Lena Hall: Obsessed: Prince
At 8 p.m. ET, get ready to party like it’s 1999 when Hedwig Tony winner Lena Hall belts out an evening of The Purple One’s songs as part of her Obsessed concert series. VIP tickets include an interactive preshow featuring an extra half hour of music, a Q&A with Hall and a poll to choose her Obsessed artist for October. Tickets start at $20.
Stars in the House: Hercules Reunion
At 8 p.m. ET, Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley go the distance when they welcome the stars of Disney’s beloved animated movie musical Hercules to Stars in the House. Most of the Ancient Greek gang will be there, including Tate Donovan, Susan Egan, Danny DeVito, Roger Bart, Lillias White, LaChanze, Roz Ryan and Cheryl Freeman—that’s the gospel truth. Expect stories and lots of familiar songs. Watch for free on YouTube though donations to The Actors Fund are encouraged.
Available to Watch All Day
Barrington Stage Company: Three Viewings
Pittsfield, Massachusetts’ Barrington Stage Company presents Three Viewings, Jeffrey Hatcher‘s darkly comic trio of tales set in a Midwestern funeral parlor. That ’70s Show costars Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtwood Smith reunite for this virtual performance, which costars Angel Desai. Watch until Sunday, September 27 at 5 p.m. ET by making a donation of $25 or more.
Actors Theatre of Louisville: COVID-Classics: One-Act Plays for the Age of Quarantine
One of the most acclaimed regional theatres in the country, the Actors Theatre of Louisville, presents five classic shorts by Guillaume Apollinaire, Anton Chekhov, Luigi Pirandello, August Strindberg and Thucydides, reimagined for our plagued times. Robert Barry Fleming directs this poignant 45-minute program. Tickets are available to purchase from the theatre but TDF members get a discount.
Play-PerView: Sugar in Our Wounds
It’s your last chance to see Play-PerView‘s Sugar in Our Wounds, Donja R. Love‘s lyrical queer romance between two slaves is set during the Civil War. Recorded on Saturday, this performance reunites the cast of the play’s Manhattan Theatre Club world premiere: Stephanie Berry, Sheldon Best, Fern Cozine, Tiffany Rachelle Stewart and Chinaza Uche. Malika Oyetimein directs. Tickets start at $15 and benefit HIV/AIDS nonprofit Bebashi.
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Top image: Disney’s Hercules.
RAVEN SNOOK